Carpal Tunnel is setting in

[Idaho]

Help!

My left thumb is freaking me out for the past couple of weeks. I'll be typing away and just have to stop and shake my hand because it feels weird. Not painful, just weird and restless like I'm unable to hold it steady. It's like a mini anxiety attack in my thumb/wrist.

I broke that wrist/thumb 13 years ago in a city-league hoops game, had surgery and now I think it's caught up to me.

It's really annoying.

Any experience and/or suggestions?

 

[User 1019]

Not with my thumb, but I -- a few years back -- began experiencing terrible pains in my forearms (mainly my right arm) after I spent 20 minutes or so typing.

It was a terrible, terrible pain that would ease within a few minutes.

 

[Bubbler]

Hope you get better Modaho, but I wouldn't sweat it. I've had that happen too, it will go away, if you limit you're keyboarding.

I know, I know -- easier said than done.

 

[Cosmo]

Slow down on the masturbation there, tater.

 

[daveevansedge]

Hey, Idaho,
I'm not sure if this will help, but I'll throw it out there. A few years back, I started having minor irritation in my right wrist from all the keyboard and mouse work of editing/layout. My brother, a physical therapist, sent me a hand/wrist brace -- for lack of a better term. It's from Nikken, which makes a lot of products such as the one I use, and it has magnets of some sort sewn into the brace.
I used it for awhile at work, and the irritation went away pretty much entirely. Now I only need it every now and then when I have a flare-up. Apparently (and my brother is skeptical of the science, but admits there's something to it), the computer is creating a magnetic field that causes irritation over time, and the brace helps offset that field. It sounds a little fluky to me, but the product has worked, so I can't argue.
The company may have a product more specific to the thumb, or maybe the item I use would work for you. Let me know if you want more info.

 

[Pastor]

I suggest seeing a doctor. They may diagnose it as carpal tunnel and then it can be treated. No reason to wait it out any longer.

 

[Clever username]

Not with my thumb, but I -- a few years back -- began experiencing terrible pains in my forearms (mainly my right arm) after I spent 20 minutes or so typing.

It was a terrible, terrible pain that would ease within a few minutes.

Wow, come on. That's just too easy.

 

[Gold]

are you sure it might not be something else. I had something where my hands felt like there were overstretched rubber bands there. It might be something which just flares up, like arthritis.... but I won't venture too much of an opinion since you happen to be married to a doctor.

 

[leo1]

are you sure it might not be something else. I had something where my hands felt like there were overstretched rubber bands there. It might be something which just flares up, like arthritis.... but I won't venture too much of an opinion since you happen to be married to a doctor.

yeah that was my first thought, too. i've been diagnosed with RSI which basically just means my wrists and hands and fingers hurt if i type for a long time. my first thought when i read your post was maybe it's something to do with circulation and not carpal tunnel. but i don't know **** and your wife is a doctor.

 

[slappy4428]

Help!

My left thumb is freaking me out for the past couple of weeks. I'll be typing away and just have to stop and shake my hand because it feels weird. Not painful, just weird and restless like I'm unable to hold it steady. It's like a mini anxiety attack in my thumb/wrist.

I broke that wrist/thumb 13 years ago in a city-league hoops game, had surgery and now I think it's caught up to me.

It's really annoying.

Any experience and/or suggestions?

Perhaps you should ask a doctor. Know one? Dooley does

 

[Chef]

Slow down on the masturbation there, tater.

This would make him the..........................mastertater.

Thanks.......tip your waitress adequately.

 

[BYH]

Slow down on the masturbation there, tater.

This would make him the..........................mastertater.

Thanks.......tip your waitress adequately.

Chef will be here all week! Try the tortilla soup and enjoy Soundgarden on the stereo!!!

 

[DocTalk]

Doc Idaho should look at that thumb of yours and potentially venture an opinon. On the other hand, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs on the palm side of the wrist and usually causes numbness and pain in the median nerve distribution of the hand and tends to leave the thumb alone.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.orthop.washington.edu/_Rainbow/Album/10357m8b73ce59-60f6-4892-8f7f-687faedd53b7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.orthop.washington.edu/uw/tabID__3376/ItemID__1282/mid__10357/wversion__Staging/index__False/DesktopModules/Pictures/PictureView.aspx&h=506&w=524&sz=66&tbnid=eNjN5qeePdsseM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmedian%2Bnerve&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

 

[Chef]

damn.........here we all are telling ho to quit jerkin his gerkin, now some know it all doctor comes up with an actual solution...........

sheesh.

 

[grrlhack]

Modaho: I went through therapy this summer to relieve carpal tunnel and some tendonitis. I'm thinking the shots they gave me helped a lot too, but most of it was accomplished by doing some exercises to strengthen up the wrist area. And yeah, it does get up into the thumb, but that may be more of the tendonitis.
Simple stuff like stretch your hand all the way back then close it to a fist....touch each finger to your thumb and back again.....open and close it like pacman chomping away.....hold it palm up and with your other hand, gently push down on the fingers, stretching out the wrist area. Do them all several sets of 15.

Take frequent breaks to do these simple exercises.

Hope this helps!

 

[Buck]

Take up the guitar or banjo. Good for the hands.

 

[Idaho]

Thanks for the tips -- public and private -- folks. Doc Idaho pretended to care and suggested I use a brace for a little while.

It's the thumb that has been freaking me out for about 48 hours now and it's happened before, but gone away. I hope it's just an arthritic thing or an atmospheric pressure reaction. But it really sucks.

 

[Editude]

I had carpal tunnel about 15 years and treated it with acupuncture (which the paper paid for). Mrs. Edtitude has had some recent forearm pain and has worked on it with a brace, meds and massages from me.

 

[grrlhack]

Oh, one more thing, regarding the brace. Wear it at times OTHER than when you're on the computer. According to my doc, that actually puts you in a more awkward typing position and aggravates it. If you wear a brace, wear it when you're out and about and especially when you sleep. We tend to curl up in that fetal curl, including our wrists.

 

[Idaho]

this brace is already bugging me. Hot and sweaty.

Blahhh